CORD will develop educational modules for students in grades 4 through 6 in Perry County, Alabama, to equip students and their families with accurate information about COVID vaccines.The University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Community Outreach Development has been awarded a National Institutes of Health supplement of $50,000 to an existing Science Education Partnership Award aimed at addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in rural Alabama through the Vaccine Victories over Viruses Program, or V3.
Designed for children to learn and teach their parents and caregivers about the benefits of vaccines, V3 will integrate engaging activities and lesson plans related to the COVID-19 virus and vaccine hesitancy into science curriculums for grades 4 through 6 in rural communities where access to accurate, up-to-date COVID information is limited. The initial testing of this program will take place in Perry County, Alabama.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical need for public education about the safety and efficacy of vaccines against viral diseases,” said Michael Wyss, Ph.D., principal investigator and UAB CORD director. “Rural communities have been especially vulnerable to anti-vaccine sentiments due to a lack of dissemination of health-related information, and they have experienced high COVID-19 rates of infection due to direct exposure, and inadequate health care. We’re confident that the V3 program will help educate students first and, in turn, will be information that they excitedly take back home and in their community.”
V3 will initially aim to reduce vaccine hesitancy for COVID-19 vaccines specifically, with the long-term goal of addressing the significant long-term problem of low HPV and MMR vaccine usage in rural communities through similar education modules in schools.
Members of the local community will be involved in developing the learning modules so they are culturally relevant and authentic to the local experience. Furthermore, UAB CORD will partner with a project-based learning kit company Rock by Rock to develop the modules and create project-based learning lessons that engage students in solving real-world problems.
“Vaccine education is an issue of equity, and misinformation or medical mistrust have too often led to a lack of vaccinations. By partnering with youth in these communities, we are hopeful that their newfound education and excitement will make a difference in underserved communities,” said Katie Busch Chandran, CORD lead for V3 work in Perry County.
UAB is one of only 12 institutions in the country to receive this special award. The selection of UAB as the site for this grant recognizes UAB’s status and commitment to being a Health Promoting University and CORD’s longstanding track record of success with NIH projects that provide science education throughout the state.
Project classroom implementation will begin in January 2022.